Effigy Mounds National Monument

View of the Mississippi River from Effigy Mounds National Monument.

NPS

Located along the Mississippi River in northeastern Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument encompasses 2,526 acres with over 200 mounds of which 31 are effigies associated with the culture known today as the Effigy Moundbuilders. The construction of effigy mounds was a regional cultural phenomenon. Mounds of earth in the shapes of birds, bear, deer, bison, lynx, turtle, panther or water spirit are the most common images.
EFMO has an intricate system of rivers and streams and about 100 acres of ponds and lakes are found within the floodplains of the Mississippi River, the Yellow River, and Sny Magill Creek in the park. Dousman Creek, a perennial cold-water stream, is recognized as a high quality native trout stream. The Yellow River flows into the Mississippi at the park boundary. Water volume is high and flow is relatively slow.
The majority of the uplands and bluffs are forested. Three common mesic-forest communities dominate. They are (1) sugar maple-basswood (Tilia americana) forest on dry-mesic to mesic slopes and ravines, (2) oak-hickory on dry-mesic sites, and (3) chinquapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii) woodlands mixed with goat prairies on bluff tops and south-facing slopes.

Monitoring Reports

Source: Data Store Saved Search 3507 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Inventory Reports

Source: Data Store Collection 4260 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Check out the links below for other interesting science information about your park:

Air Quality in Parks
Learn about the air quality at your park and how it has changed over time.

NPS Geodiversity Atlas
An interactive map to explore the full variety of natural geologic (rocks, minerals, sediments, fossils, landforms, and physical processes) and soil resources and processes that occur in your park.

NPSpecies
Find out what plants and animals are present in your park or other parks.